 Madison. This is a place where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual, ethical, and social issues in a safe and accepting environment. Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to be a force for good in the world. My name is Leslie Ross, and on behalf of the congregation, I would like to extend a special welcome to our visitors today. We are a welcoming congregation, so whoever you are, we celebrate your presence among us. Newcomers are encouraged to stay for fellowship hour after the service and to visit the library across the hall from where I stand now. Members of our staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you. This would be a good time to turn off all electronic devices that might disrupt the service. Experience guides are generally available to give a building tour after each service, so if you would like to learn more about the sustainably designed addition or our national landmark meeting house, please meet near the large glass windows on the left of the auditorium. We welcome children to stay with us during the service. Please remember that it often becomes difficult for those in attendance to hear in this lively acoustic environment, and our child haven over there and the commons out there are excellent places to go when you or your child needs to talk or move around. The service can still be heard in those areas. I'd now like to acknowledge those individuals who help our services to run smoothly. For this service, we have Mark Schultz on sound, Anne Smiley as our lay minister, Janine Nussbaum as our greeter, our ushers are Ron Cook, Dorrit Bergen, Samuel Bates and Elizabeth Barrett, Jeanne Hills is busy making us coffee, and Nancy Webster has tirelessly taken care of our orchids. Please note the announcements in the red floors that are inserted in your order of service, which describe upcoming events at the society and provide more information about today's activities. I want to make special note of the cards in there for Julie Brock, our ministerial intern, who will be leaving us soon. We hope you can take a couple minutes to write her a note of farewell. There's a table out in the comments where you can deposit those. Today is our coming of age worship service, which is a very special event for our teens and their families. Today will be privileged to hear from an impressive group of teens who have spent the past eight months in our coming of age program. As many of you know, coming of age is the final class in our children's religious education program. And it's our rite of passage, marking the transition from being a child to being a teen. The coming of age program offers experiences that help our teens to better understand who they are, who they hope to be, and what beliefs ground and guide them on their way. They've explored beliefs about God and death. They've spent hours in the wilderness without electronics or anyone to talk to but themselves. They've talked with their elders about their spiritual evolution, and they've looked more closely at our unitarian universalist principles and how they relate to their own lives and the choices that they make. After many hours of conversation and contemplation, they set themselves down to writing their own belief statements, which they will courageously share with you today. We have a very large coming of age class this year, so half of them presented their belief statements at the nine o'clock service. The other half will present at the 11 o'clock service. They're all wonderful. And now let's welcome our coming of age team of teens, facilitators, and elders. Today is but a dream. And tomorrow is only a vision. And today, while lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day. I now invite you to rise in body or in spirit in our chalice lighting. The words are printed in your order of service. This light unites us. This light unites us with our neighbors, our friends, and our enemies. Most importantly, this light unites us within ourselves, our hearts, our souls, our spirits. This light unites us. I now invite you to turn and greet your neighbor. Be seated. I now invite any children who would like to come forward to our story to come join us up front. This is Elmer by David McKee. There was once a herd of elephants, elephants young, elephants old, elephants tall and short, fat and thin. All were different, but all were happy and almost all were the same color. All except Elmer. Elmer was not elephant color. He was patchwork. Elmer was yellow, and orange, and red, and pink, and purple, and blue, and green, and black, and white. It was Elmer who kept the other elephants happy. Their games and jokes were always his idea. If an elephant was laughing, the cause was usually Elmer. But Elmer himself wasn't happy. Whoever heard of a patchwork elephant, he thought, no wonder they all laugh at me. One morning, just as the others were waking up, Elmer slipped away. As he watched through the jungle, Elmer met other animals. Good morning, Elmer, they said. A large bush covered with elephant-colored berries. Elmer caught hold of the bush and shook it until the berries fell on the ground. Then Elmer laid down and rolled over on the berries, this way and that. He picked up bunches of berries and rubbed himself all over until he was covered with berry juice. When he had finished, there wasn't a sign of any yellow, or orange, or red, or pink, or purple, or blue, or green, or black, or white. Elmer looked like any other elephant. On his way back to the jungle, Elmer passed the other animals. Good morning, elephant, they said, or none of the other elephants noticed him. As he stood there, Elmer felt that something was wrong. But what? He looked around, same old jungle, same old blue sky, same old rain clouds, same old elephants. The other elephants were standing absolutely still, silent, and serious. Elmer had never seen them so serious. It made him want to laugh. Finally, he could bear it no longer. He lifted his trunk and at the top of his voice shouted, Boo! The other elephants jumped in surprise. Elmer was helpless with laughter. Then the others began to laugh. Too bad Elmer isn't here to share the fun, they said, laughing harder and harder. And then the rain cloud burst. When the rain fell on Elmer, his patchwork started to show again. Oh, Elmer, gasped an old elephant as Elmer washed back to normal. You've played some good jokes, but this has been the best laugh of all. What would we do without you? We must celebrate this day every year, said another, the day of Elmer's best joke. All of us elephants will decorate ourselves in his honor, said a third, and Elmer will decorate himself elephant color. And one day each year, the elephants color themselves yellow, or orange, or red, or pink, or purple, or blue, or green, or black, or white, and have a parade. If you happen to see an elephant in the Elmer's Day parade, who is ordinary elephant color, you will know it must be Elmer. This is a simply intangible feeling. I have faith that world harmony and peace is a possible concept. I hold trust that love can do that hate. I also feel that love is a power which anyone can obtain by thinking and searching deeply within. The power of love, I believe, is strong. Wholeheartedly, I believe that love is a feeling, an essence which I cannot completely explain. I have always had this vision in my mind since I was very young of the world of the community. In this image, everyone is connected through a big golden globe radiating from every member of the community. I now think of this as my first feelings of genuine love for all. This is the essence of love that I feel radiating through every being to every being. I hold on to this love as my greatest belief. I have come to believe that after death, one's energy is spread about the earth in the form of memories and feelings. I would not say that I believe in any God or gods, but whatever anyone wants to call it, the simple essence or existence of love is what I hold on to most greatly. Furthermore, I believe that any hate can somehow be driven out with love. I have an older sister and without a doubt, we argue all the time. However, the only reason we feel comfortable confronting each other so confidently is that we love each other so much. Though it may sound cliche, we know that no matter how angry we get at each other, we will always forget the other. Despite all issues, my family always would try to say we were grateful for at the dinner table, complete with our little you-you time. No matter how silly our answers may have been, memories of these times at the dinner table have held on to me. There's something special about feeling so loved by the people that you're just recently bothering so much. I think that as a family would, the people of the world can likewise forgive themselves and each other in order to live harmoniously. All it takes, I think, is an immense amount of love contributed to by everyone in order to achieve this world peace and harmony. Relatedly, I believe that anyone can obtain the power of love by thinking about their deepest values and finding what they believe about the world with the help of themselves and others. I have faith, I just feel that everyone is capable of love and acceptance. Everyone can love themselves and can lovingly accept others. With respect and gratitude, I think that this mutual love can happen. I think that there is inherent goodness in everyone and gladly have seen this motivational goodness increasingly shared in social media. Everyone can love each other. Altogether, I believe that love is a very powerful thing, an essence which can connect and bring people together. I believe that in life, love is a solution to hate. I also believe that anyone can be loving, accepting, and respectful to all. I believe that love is a power and something I found along my wilderness retreat is that love is my thunder. A girl is walking down a path with her parents, holding tight onto their hands. She's happy and skipping and trying to match their large steps with lots of little skips. The path is smooth and the area around them is wooded. She isn't scared of the woods because her parents are by her sides. The sun is starting to set and she isn't quite old enough to understand the beauty of a sunset that her parents marvel at. She starts to wander away from her parents as she hears a faint sound of music from down the path. She follows it. She sits and listens to the music for a long time, years in fact. She listens to the melodies and never tires of the riffs, key changes, and the aesthetic of the woods. Finally, she gets up and looks towards her parents. They smile at her. She turns back towards the direction of the music and takes a step forward. Nothing happens. She takes another step. Nothing. She starts to walk at a normal speed and the music stays the same beautiful sound she's been listening to for years. But this time it feels different. As she walks forward she sees a man walking towards her, someone she's never seen before. He's a kind face and a sort of iridescent glow to him. He holds out his hand. She takes it. They walk together in silence for a little taking in the music. Finally he turns to her. Hello, he says. She nods her head not knowing what to say. He talks about the music and the nature. She has words in her head but can't say them. He finally turns to her and looks her in the eyes. She looks away. He's vanished by the time she looks back. Her time with him was brief and she doesn't know what to make of it. But she continues to walk feeling a bit caught off guard. She wonders if she'll ever see him again and sort of hopes she does. To her surprise he's walking towards her again. He tells her, I come to all who want to find me. She's finally able to talk to him. She says to him, why am I here? He chuckles. You're here for so many reasons. You're here to love everyone. You're here to make people laugh. You're here to make music and you're here to find yourself. She bows her head in response to him. They walk together in silence for a little until she takes one step too far to the left in trips. She sees her hands are scratched and bloody. She looks at the man with longing eyes and asks him why. He looks at her with no expression on his face. With his inability to answer her question, she takes off running. She reaches the end of the path and there's a big hill. She walks up it and runs down the other side to find a stage with one stool and a guitar. She walks to the stage and picks up the guitar. She plays effortlessly and smiles. Her hands don't hurt anymore. And although she has met the man, walked with him and talked with him, she doesn't know what to make of her time with him. He couldn't answer her questions in full. He stands at the back of the theater, smiling at her with a flower in his hands. She finishes playing the guitar and walks to the man. She doesn't accept his hand when he holds it out to her, yet he takes the flower and puts it in her hair. With the flower in her hair and the guitar in her hand, she runs back down the path. She reaches her parents and sits down in between them and she looks at the sunset. She smiles then picks up the guitar and plays for a while. Life is one big confusing jumbled up mess. And if you grow up surrounded by a big jumbled up mess, your thoughts and beliefs turn exactly that. I thought that by sitting out in the woods for six hours alone with a paper and pencil, maybe the jumbleness would quiet down and my beliefs would align. But even that belief was a mess. Why is it that my beliefs are constantly changing? Why is it that Santa Claus seems so believable when I was five years old, but now the idea of a big white bearded man tumbling through my chimney seems so far fetched? And how can you believe so passionately that you don't have as much potential as others, but finally discover that your own beauty is not dependent on those around you? While I'm unable to answer all these questions individually, the only thing that everything truly leads back to is that life is definitely one big confusing mess and that we are always growing and learning every second of the day. Even if that second is nothing but you learning that you just wasted a second. Through all my 15 years of life, the one thing I have learned is not to believe too strongly because sometimes even if your belief may seem to be the most intelligent, sane or logical, it can be turned upside down in a moment by the beautiful action of you learning something because learning is so much more precious than having the best perspective. Listening to others' beliefs has placed new thoughts into my head and has helped me grow into the person that I am today. From my mom, I've inherited the belief that we have the power to love those around us, but also step up when something's not right. From my dad, I have learned that while money can do many things, it's the simplest things in life, like taking a walk or watching a meteor shower that are really important. And although these beliefs are small, they make up a large part of who I am and who I will continuously grow to be. So yes, life is jumbled and confusing, but with the belief that I have the power to grow and change my beliefs, I think I can handle it. There has never been a moment that I have not been coming of age. I have been growing both physically and mentally since the day my bright and beaming family welcomed me into this beautiful world. My core beliefs have been forming and solidifying over the past several years. I know that my beliefs may change greatly in the coming years, but I am certain that many of the beliefs I have today will always be important and true to my heart. Hard ships that I have braved through have pushed me to think about my beliefs and what they mean to me. When I was 11, my parents divorced. I was deeply saddened and I was scared of not knowing how things would turn out. I was afraid that my world would be filled with sadness and hatred and the broken pieces of a broken family. But despite being divorced, my parents have shown me the incredible importance and power of love. The love that emanates from their souls is so undeniably present in my life. They have chosen to encompass my being with a marvelous blanket of love instead of the piercing darkness of hate. The love for the world and for me has filled my veins of kindness, compassion and respect for myself and the world around me. I may be coming of age, but there will never be a day that I won't need my mommy and daddy. Going through the pain of a family splitting apart has not filled my world with sadness and hatred. Instead, I now know that I believe there is great power in love. I believe that love is the power to heal all wounds, all pain, all heartbreak, all sorrows and all sadness. If it weren't for my loving family, my world would be filled with sadness and hatred. My family, along with every other divorced family, is not broken. My mother, my father, my sister, my dog and I. We form a family that is just as complete and whole as any other family. Mom, dad, you have permeated my entire being with the warmth of love and for that I am ever so grateful. Thank you. And Trina, my incredibly, amazingly beautiful sister, do not think I've forgotten about you. You are everything wonderful and especially not forgettable. From day one, you've always had my back. From establishing our own little club called Kahoot Club, as two and six-year-olds, to going to IHAP at 12 in the morning, you have been a constant source of joy and companionship in my life. Your passion for social justice and sexual health care rights has instilled passion in me to change the wrongs in our world and pushes me every day to fight for what I believe in. Thank you for being my best friend, the keeper of my secrets and my marvelous sister. As I once said to you when I was three, I love you, I like you and you're my best heart. I am so fortunate that my family gives me so much love and joy. They have helped me through my greatest hardships and there's no doubt in my mind that they will continue to do so. Last year, when I was bullied online, my family shone beams of joy into the dark rain cloud that flooded my soul. Hateful words said to me by bullies, ate away at my heart and tore me to pieces. It has been one of the most soul-crushing and saddest struggles that I have endured yet, but that is the key word, endured. The love that I have received from my family, friends, teachers and kind strangers has been immensely powerful. My life is not a sad story. My life is a story of love, positivity and resilience. I believe in keeping a positive mindset no matter what life throws at you. Positivity has been my sanity. It's what keeps my blood and my bones and every piece of my being alive and moving and dancing. Positivity is seeing the love that came out of a divorce. Positivity is seeing how much kinder and wiser and stronger I have become since being bullied. I look for the beauty in all situations. I believe that it's the only way I'll keep my heart soft and hopeful in tough situations. I am resilient and I believe in bouncing back and I believe in standing tall despite hatred, negativity and cruelty. I believe that the world we live in is inherently beautiful and all things on it are beautiful too. So I'm going to continue to live my life as a beautiful creature on this earth and I'm going to live fearlessly, courageously, in love with the world. There's too much beauty in it to live any other way. Thank you. In the importance of our choices. Our choices are what determine who we are and who we become. I choose to believe this because while it comes with pressure it also gives me a sense of control and responsibility. We are in charge of who we become. Some people believe in a higher power determining their lives for them. While I understand this I don't want to think that someone else decides my life for me and that I have no say in it no matter what I do. Instead I choose to think that I choose my own path because in my journey of life I'm the only one walking these paths. Each choice that we make lead to more and more choices. To me it's fascinating how many different ways my life could turn out depending on what I do each day. I know that the more positive and where I am the better my future is likely to be. I also believe in the power of connection between ourselves and those around us. From the time we are born until the time that we pass we belong in an interconnected web of human existence. The energy we decide to release into the world has greater impacts than we are sometimes aware of. I try to keep this in mind that how we choose to interact with people really does make a difference. Smiling at someone who's having a rough time instead of turning away encourages that person to show kindness to others which leads to a circle of positive energy. The same way bullying leads to more bullying and hate leads to more hate. Believing this makes me want to be a kinder person and show positivity toward others as often as I can. Something that I've come to realize is that the universe is big. I am one out of seven billion people on this earth that are living and I'm small. I am one out of seven billion people living on this earth right now. That doesn't even include the people that have lived or the many that will live to come. But just because I am small does not mean I am insignificant. My smallness only leads me to understand that it is okay for me to take small actions. I want to make a difference but I do not need to be remembered by everyone on the face of the earth. All I want is to be remembered and recognize for the things I hope to become by those around me who have great importance in my life. I want to help people by bringing hope and happiness into their lives any way that I can, big or small. I'm still trying to figure out who I am and what I believe but I know that these beliefs will always stay constant as I grow into the personnel we come. I have come to understand that my beliefs are living and changing thing and that they will grow over time. This statement is merely where they are now. I consider myself agnostic, meaning I don't have any idea what I believe about God. There may be a God who created the universe and every creature on the earth or there may not be. I'm not able to reject the idea simply based on scientific unlikelihood, as many are. Science is a solid lens through which to view the world but it is also a living and changing thing and a principle which we accept as truth today may be rejected a week from now. The idea of the afterlife is a pleasant one. By enduring the turmoil of life and avoiding sin one could live forever in heaven. Death is so difficult to imagine, being nothing yet having no consciousness to recognize your lack of life. I truly believed in God I would not have my fear of death, of the nothingness which from a young age has haunted me. It's definitely a scary thought and one which many prefer to keep out of their minds. Regardless, I cannot force myself to believe in God and experience the resulting comfort, nor can I discount the possibility of a divine being and a faith of so many. What I have been able to glean from these reflections is that the one thing we have is the present. Paying attention to every moment in its infinite complexity has helped me get through stress and everyday struggles. Admittedly I'm not very good at this skill I don't know if anybody is really and I spend a good deal of time lost in memories or worried about upcoming events, for example this one. Nevertheless, I recognize the importance of concentrating on the present because it is all that we have. As I sat in the woods on a retreat a few weeks ago I had no choice but to embrace the scenery around me. I paid attention to the noise of the wind whistling through the trees, the birds circling overhead, even the annoying buzzing of a horsefly who seemed intent on interrupting my peaceful experience. For those six hours I was given the opportunity to simply be, without any tasks or checklists to complete, any structure to follow. This was truly a blessing. Furthermore through paying attention to the details in life and my environment, the colors of the skies, the sunsets, the absolute quiet of the woods as the snow falls softly, the wonderful people around me. And by focusing on one task at a time and what I am feeling in any given moment I am able to live a more fulfilling life, as I believe. I now invite you into the giving and receiving of today's offering which is dedicated to the ongoing Coming of Age program. Your generous gifts assist in our retreats and program. Thank you. To me, belief is the acceptance of something that you think is true, without fact or statistics to back it up. Throughout the last couple of years I believed in a lot of things. Each of the classes that I have taken at FUS have helped to make me the person that I am now. I hear all kinds of different stories, religions, and beliefs, and they all contribute to what I believe. Something that I always think about is the difference between what you believe and other emotions that might affect you in the same types of way. Sometimes those other feelings are hard to understand or figure out. They also might differ in the sense that you might believe one thing, hope another, and have faith in something completely different. For example, I believe that after death your body gets recycled to the environment. Now that's much different from what I hope will happen after you die. I hope that after you die your body and our soul get reborn or move on to another realm, world, or life. Finally, what I have faith in. I have faith that whoever or whatever is watching over us wouldn't hold on, whatever is watching over us wouldn't let us just be no more and to stop living and have our memories, thoughts, and knowledge just be gone. This to me has always been a pretty scary topic as I assume it is for many others. Not knowing what's going to happen to you after death is something that I have always been kind of worried about. This contributes to my beliefs as a whole. I often think should I believe in something like God in order for me to get to this place that people call heaven? This talk of God and who has created the world that we know and love today is also a very confusing topic to me. Everything I've learned as a child through school and through my experiences just point to science. Science has so many answers from where each of us came from and how it all started and makes most of the religions that I hear about seem pretty unrealistic. Not even, now even though they may seem unrealistic by no means am I going to count them out. There are so many things that we don't know as a human race that I feel could be explained by some sort of God. Because I am still transitioning into an adult my beliefs will surely change in coming years. As I make this transition I want to be sure to keep an open mind and respect the thoughts and choices of others. I want to be remembered for laughter a sense of humor and the want to succeed. Thank you. Do not believe in God. At least not in the sense that most religions do. Most people who believe in God will say they believe in an omnipotent all-encompassing being one that created this world and all of its creatures and one that is absolutely necessary to this world continuing to function. I do not believe in that sort of a world. My world does not need a God to function. It is simply run by human nature. Now this is not to say that I strictly do not believe in a God. I do believe in Darwin's theories of evolution and the Big Bang and as well as the survival of the fittest but as far as I can see none of that actually conflicts with the idea of a God. It conflicts with the book of Genesis for sure but the rest of most religious texts can still exist side by side with accepted science. I mean what scientists could say to me and prove that a God did not cause the Big Bang. None of them because we can't see to what existed before it and what religious leader could prove to me that their creation story is correct. None of them could because no one experienced that moment. Through talking both to my parents and some of my more religiously educated friends I have learned that many people come to the same conclusion that I have that God may exist or he or she may not but there is no current evidence nor do I think there ever will be that a God did not create the universe. There are simply differing ideas on how and why said creation may have occurred and I see no reason why those ideas cannot coexist. This possibility of a God brings me to my second belief. Some may argue the point that if there is not a God to keep human in lines then what is there to prevent the evils of mankind from destroying the world? The simple answer to that is us mankind. Humans are responsible for protecting ourselves from our own downfalls and we do this through one simple action reciprocating treatment by doing to others or acting towards them as they have acted towards us. This basic principle is expressed in almost every religion around the world as the golden rule. The exact words change from religion to religion but the principle is the same. However I believe that not only should you follow this rule but that it itself is deeply ingrained within human instinct. Like the Buddhist and Hindu idea of karma this means that what you do now will determine what happens to you in life later. Now karma is often driven by a universal force, a form of God while I believe that that force is not necessary. I believe that you should treat others as you want to be treated because eventually that person you treated badly whether it was a kid you tripped in school or someone you cheated out of a job they're going to get back at you. The system of karma that I believe in is not driven by some universal force or omnipotent being it's driven by humans and an ingrained need to keep the world good. So in short I believe in a world in which a God could exist but does not necessarily need to in order for the world to function. I do not need to know how the world was created because I know that it was. I do not need a God to satisfy my version of reality. I simply need to know that whatever I do to others will eventually come back to me. So I don't argue with people about God or creation stories or religions because what matters is the people around you and how you treat them because that will be how they treat you. I began writing my I believe statement I was staring at a blank page for at least an hour trying to figure out how to organize my thoughts. There was so much that I wanted to say words I could write that would fill up a hundred pages. I might have talked about how I believe in random acts of kindness and the power of togetherness and the importance of peace over war and suffering and equality and the beauty of nature and in believing itself. But as I sat there I realized that I wanted to talk about something special something that really uniquely shaped who I am today and something that has really made a difference in my life. And as I thought about it I came to the conclusion that those two things are radio all-nursinistosis and Harry Potter. First of all let me tell you a story about a disability that is not really a disability. Radio all-nursinistosis is an extremely rare developmental disorder caused by the abnormal connections between two of the bones in the forearm that limits a person's ability to rotate their arms the usual range of motion. In the entire world there are only 400 reported cases of radio all-nursinistosis which adds up to about 0.00006% of the population and makes the ratio of people with the disorder to people without approximately 1 in 17.5 million. I was born one out of that 17.5 million with radio all-nursinistosis in both arms and at age five I underwent surgery in the hopes that by rotating my bone doctors could give me a better range of motion in my left arm. The surgery helped me a lot but it did not cure me and because of this disability I cannot dance because my arms are unable to form the proper shapes. I cannot play volleyball because I am incapable of using the correct part of my arm to play the ball. I cannot use utensils or receive change or waitress or play violin or give hugs or hold hands or clap easily. Well at first all of these incapabilities were sources of frustration to me and I got worried that my awkward stupid arms as I called them would stop me from doing things that I love like maybe for some reason I wouldn't get cast in the theater productions I love to perform in because my arms would prohibit me from performing an action that my character was directed to do. I used to ask why is it me? Why am I the one out of 17.5 million people that had to be born not normal? But then I realized that I'm lucky and I'm lucky because I was not born to spend my life in a wheelchair or with no voice or cerebral palsy or anything that would really justify the words I cannot. And as I think about it I realize that if someone gave me the opportunity to be rid of radio on their synestosis forever I would tell them that I would not give it up for the world because it's who I am it's what makes me me what makes me unique it makes me one out of 17.5 million So radio on their synestosis has inspired me to believe that no matter what nobody should give up their differences to be normal as we have defined the word not for the world If there's a best way to be it's just to be yourself to be one out of seven billion Second of all let me tell you a story about a boy who lived When I was four my mother began to read to me the best series of all time a series that has taught me some of the most important lessons in my life and has given me some of the best role models to look up to Harry Potter I began reading Harry Potter in kindergarten finished the series in the second grade and I was so obsessed with the books that on my 11th birthday when I was supposed to get my Hogwarts acceptance letter I replicated one to the best of my ability seal and all and pretended to find it in my mailbox Then, of course, I cried when I didn't get an actual one Through Harry Potter I learned a great many things Ron Weasley taught me the importance of family and friendship Neville Longbottom taught me courage Luna Lovegood taught me the beauty of weirdness Harry Potter taught me how one person can make a world of a difference and Hermione Granger taught me to work hard and always do my best But most importantly the books taught me to imagine Without imagination life becomes dull barren black and white Imagination fills the world with color with adventures I'd love to put down on paper characters I'd love to meet It is the driving force behind my aspiration to become an author and an actress and it flows through my colored pencils and onto my sketchbooks allowing me to create It inspires new ideas and empowers people to change the world So it's not so much Harry Potter that I believe in although I adore it with all my heart But what it taught me that everyone no matter how old how young how rich how poor whatever ethnicity whatever faith has to feed their imagination and keep it alive If we lose it for just a second we can lose more than we ever know So I believe a lot of things but mostly I believe that there are two fundamental things that every person needs in their life their differences and their imaginations Our differences collectively bring us together when at the same time they set us apart Our imaginations are the color in a world of otherwise black and white So I encourage you all to take a step back and just listen Listen to all of our imaginations and all of our differences Don't be afraid to make yours loud enough to be heard Thank you I now invite you to rise and body your spirit for our next hymn number 1064 What a joy it is to be celebrating another coming of age ceremony and the culmination of another coming of age year This is truly a moment to stop and give gratitude for our youth for the gift of their insights and their wisdom and to recognize that although their classroom learning at first unitarian society may be over their journey of lifelong learning on their own has just begun Throughout this year our youth have begun in earnest to study themselves to get to know themselves examining their beliefs and values ideals and aspirations With their belief statements our youth have given us just a glimpse of where this process has led them thus far and we would pause for a moment here to thank those who've walked with them on this journey We'll begin with those in our community who have served as the adult facilitators for coming of age who have given these youth direction insight wisdom and guidance throughout the past year Their call was a mighty and challenging one and throughout they brought patience good humor much love and compassion Our adult facilitators are Rudy Moore Sandy Pomponio Jay Ranny Shannon Stewart and Josh Wolfolk who is not able to be with us this morning but is here with us in spirit and if you will help me thank our facilitators We also pause to give thanks to our coming of age elders Each youth is matched with an elder from the congregation a person who is chosen because they embody the thoughtfulness kindness commitment that we hope to encourage in our youth Throughout this past year our elders were steadfast They took this work cheerfully and joyfully and we owe them much thanks We honor them now by asking that they each stand as their names are called Chris Carousey Greg Gordon Elaine Lohr Sandy Plisch Anne Schaefer Mark Schultz Paul Stang Kim Steggy and Eric Sunquist And now if our youth we'll come forward Thank you all of you for taking the time and making the effort to be with us this morning for this very very special celebration To all of you who are gathered in this room today we ask that you remember your important role in the spiritual and the moral development of the youth that you see before you Where they journey from here is not entirely up to them It is of course up to us as well And we must remember that the deepening of their experience in our faith tradition Unitarian Universalism is not the responsibility of their advisors of their parents alone Helping them to blossom as loving and conscientious human beings That is a responsibility that we all share And now that these youth have completed their coming of age year that responsibility becomes for us even more relevant and more immediate For these young men and women you can serve as an example and as an inspiration of how people live out not just on Sundays but every day of the week their spiritual and ethical values Through you they can observe Unitarian Universalism faith in action And there can be no greater no more effective teaching than our good example to them And so we ask now will you continue to encourage their spiritual growth the spiritual growth of the youth you see before you Will you value their insights their emerging convictions recognizing the gifts and the talents that they bring to this our community as well as the enthusiasm and the hope that they bring to the larger world And if so please say we will And now to our youth to all of you We recognize today the work you have done during this past year and we are grateful for the gifts and the talents that you have brought to us Will you continue this journey that you have begun to grow as an individual expressing your beliefs growing in faith and continuing to question and explore If so please say we will And with the parents of our coming of age youth please rise My friends you beyond everyone else have been witnesses to the maturing and the unfolding of your child from the day of their birth until this very moment In the beginning of this coming of age year we asked for your permission for your child to come of age through this program And we ask you now to continue to open your hearts in order to receive your child back into your family for all that they have become during the course of this year Do you promise now to continue your journey together with respect patience guidance and unconditional love And if so please say we will Please be seated At the dedication of a child we give to each a rosebud fragrant symbol of beauty promise and love The rose we give then has no thorns symbolizing the better world we would like to give to our children we hope that these children whom we have dedicated will learn to recognize the beauty and the goodness that exists in our world and that they will grow in wisdom and compassion adding their own beauty Today we give to each of these young people a rose in full bloom symbolizing the beauty and the gifts that they already give to our world and the natural beauty found in each one of them Yet this time the thorns are still intact When you were a child we could do our best to shield you from the harshness and the cruelty of the world But now as a youth we can no longer protect you from all that you encounter both the beauty and the brutality But no matter where you may go and how far you may travel you will always be with us in spirit and we will always be sending blessings your way So accept these roses knowing that there are harsh realities in this world but there is much beauty as well May you choose to see the beauty And now as we did when you were young we ask that you be granted clarity of thought integrity of speech and a compassion at heart May the blessings of strength integrity of purpose and love received and given be yours today and remain with you as you move forward into ever fuller life And if you all will join me in congratulating our youth Before we join in our closing hymn I just have to say it's a little bit of a moment for me as well Miss Olivia Larson was the first baby I dedicated here in this congregation 15 years ago So I'm one of the blessings of sticking around And now if you will join in our closing hymn number 1074